She had personally invited us, as well as the Roseros, to a party in honor of her son, David, graduating from el colegio (equivalent to high school). The event was located in a cleared out dinning room/ living room lined with chairs and couches. We entered the a room of about 20 people. We smiled and quickly took and seat tried to blend in. However our entrance made us stand out terribly. It is custom to greet everyone with a kiss. Yes, even when you walk into a room with 20 people you do not know, number is not an issue in this culture. (I KNEW THAT! I am surrounded by it daily, but I still shy away from it in big groups. In fact I love being the first one to arrive at an activity because I don't have to make my rounds, I just accept the kiss from arriving people as they show up, haha).
Anyway, as more guest arrived they circled the perimeter of the room greeting every individual before taking a seat. I pondered this custom off and on through out the night as I was greeted by late comers. 'Why do they do this?' 'Is it really necessary?' 'Isn't it enough just to look friendly and welcoming?' Oh, the justifications I had!
Once I stopped justifying my behavior I began to see the beauty of their behavior. I found it beautiful how comfortable and welcomed their initiative made us feel. I found it beautiful that the room felt warm and the environment felt safe. The evening was delightful and it all stemmed from the simple gesture of saying hello.
The evening followed a unique agenda. An opening prayer, followed by thoughts from David's Bishop, thoughts from his mother and finally we heard from him. Their remarks touched me. Graduating high school is not as common event here and therefore everyone was overwhelmed with emotion of joy, especially Catalina.
After David spoke it was time to dance. With little hesitation, young and old joined on the dance floor. Here is Catalina dancing with her Uncle.
Lorena and Rodrigo Rosero (the couple we live with)
Rodrigo and his daughter Sammy
Yes that us! We too got our groove on! This picture cracks me up!
(Lee's head was by far the closest to the ceiling).
Around 10:30 pm we were served a plate of chicken, beef, sausage, rice and lettuce... with a spoon as the only available utensil. David's nephew preformed a special musical number while we ate.
(IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE VIDEO OF THIS MUSICAL NUMBER IT IS SAVED IN ON DANIKA'S FACEBOOK PAGE UNDER VIDEOS.)
We left the party around 11:30 pm. Leaving the party sounds easy, but to leave a party like this early can be offensive to the host. So as to not appear to bailing out early large group (six of us including the Roseros), we had to trickle out two by two. We had the host's blessing and left. The next morning we caught word that the party continued into the morning hours. Great fun.
(Lee's head was by far the closest to the ceiling).
Around 10:30 pm we were served a plate of chicken, beef, sausage, rice and lettuce... with a spoon as the only available utensil. David's nephew preformed a special musical number while we ate.
(IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE VIDEO OF THIS MUSICAL NUMBER IT IS SAVED IN ON DANIKA'S FACEBOOK PAGE UNDER VIDEOS.)
We left the party around 11:30 pm. Leaving the party sounds easy, but to leave a party like this early can be offensive to the host. So as to not appear to bailing out early large group (six of us including the Roseros), we had to trickle out two by two. We had the host's blessing and left. The next morning we caught word that the party continued into the morning hours. Great fun.
No comments:
Post a Comment